With another snap of Raffiel’s fingers, the other Trial Aspirants started to wake up. They were showing clear signs of confusion, and some started to panic, but everyone stopped what they were doing once they laid eyes on Raffiel. He was radiating some kind of aura that made the people here calm down and relax.
Only one individual had a different response than the others, and that was the regressor. He gave the false Angel a look of confusion, and I could hear him mutter something in Korean under his breath. Thanks to Noe’s translating ability, not only was I able to understand what he said, but his barely audible voice was also amplified.
“He wasn’t the host before… did I change it?”
No, I wanted to say, that change was definitely because of me. But does that mean that I wasn’t around in the first iteration of his life? Did I die? Was the change because of Noe?
“Notification,” the voice chimed in, “Unit Noe wishes to clarify that its bond with Host Watt occurred only in this current timeline.”
I guess that makes sense. Before I could think of anything else, Raffiel clapped his hands and addressed the crowd.
“Welcome, people of Earth,” he said with a kind smile, even his voice was a soothing lull now, “I understand that you must have a lot of questions in your mind right now, but I will answer them all in due time.”
He continued once everyone’s focus was on him, “I am called Raffiel, an Angel of the Heavenly Hosts.”
More murmurings were heard amongst the people, but they soon quieted down when Raffiel spoke again. The Regressor was still staring at him, his brows furrowed.
“It saddens me to say this, but you were taken against your consent because a great crisis will soon befall Humanity, and it is only through the will of the Lord that your species will have a chance to fight back against such an injustice!”
With that, he took a step back, made a grand flourish, and the rolling hills and clouds in the backdrop were replaced with a new image. This one showed an image of Earth, but there was a huge black gash splitting the sky in two. Soon, thousands upon thousands of black figures poured out of it, and onto a modern city below. These figures flew down and started to slaughter the citizens below, using weapons or abilities right out of Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I saw modern tanks and aircraft causally swatted aside by one figure, while another emerged from an explosion without so much as a scratch, all the while the city around them burned and crumbled.
The image continued to pan in, this time showcasing individual citizens in their last moments, and from the cries of outrage and despair from the people in the room with me, I could tell that these were people that they knew personally. Perhaps family even.
The images slowly faded away, and Raffiel gave the people here a few moments to compose themselves before speaking again.
“Do not worry, the scenes that you have just witnessed are simply one of many possible futures that are available for you. This one shows the course of events to come if nothing is done about the threat.”
“But fear not!” he continued dramatically, “For salvation is at hand. You, and many others like you, represent the top 10% of the human population, and as such, the Lord has deemed it fit for you to undergo a Trial!”
This time, the stage’s backdrop changed to show another room similar to the one we were in just now, another Angel was leading the conversation, and another group of 200 shocked-looking people. The screen split into two, then four, splitting over and over again until the entire screen was filled with tiny images of people.
“But I will not lie to you,” Raffiel said again, “The Trials that you are about to undertake will be perilous, and there will be some amongst you who will not survive. The only consolation that I can give you is that your souls will be in the embrace of the Lord.”
This time, the image on the backdrop changed and a new figure, this one human, emerged, floating in the sky. There were still swarms of the black-clad invaders, but they were being pushed back by that lone person. With a wave of her hands, a huge torrent of fire came out like magic and consumed the first wave of invaders. With another wave, a tornado appeared and swept up another batch.
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More and more humans emerged, each showcasing powers and abilities that seemed unreal. By the end, the human group emerged on top, and the cheers of adoration from the people they rescued filled the ears of everyone present.
Raffiel continued, “But if you do take this risk, then the rewards will be great. Humans have been blessed with free will, and I will not intrude on that sacred right. If you wish to leave and not participate in this trial, then please let me know and you shall rejoin the rest of humanity. Your loved ones are still safe, but time is ticking down. Please make your choices now, as this will be your only chance to do so.”
The fake Angel waited for a spell, before the first person, an older-looking man, spoke up.
“I… I want to participate! I saw my daughter in that picture. I can’t let her die like that! I want to participate!”
As soon as the first man spoke, more and more followed in his footsteps, and by the end, not a single person chose to back down.
I honestly applauded the psychological tactics this Central Testing Center employed. They first showed the consequences of inaction by personally showing the aspirants' loved ones dying, which ensured that the ones who had strong attachments to their families and friends would participate. Then they showed the benefits of the trials in the form of those super powered individuals, which helped secure the participation of the ones who just wanted power. Finally, Raffiel promised the people that even if they died, they’d just go to some kind of Heaven, so there was no real downside to an affirmative answer, and he even gave them a time limit to choose so they would be pressured by the fear of missing out.
Wonderfully done!
I must have subconsciously nodded at what Raffiel did because he secretly gave me a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
“It lifts my heart to see you all so committed to the cause,” Raffiel said, “Since you have all chosen to endure this arduous task, I shall give you a gift befitting new Aspirants.”
With another snap of his finger, a soft glow washed over all of the people here, and I felt a pleasant warmth envelop me.
"To ensure that your growth will be optimized,” Raffiel explained, “the Lord has graciously devised a method to gauge your current potential in a fashion most familiar to the current population. I am sure that you have all either played or heard of the video game, correct?”
Some people showed some confusion at the answer, but everyone here nodded. It wasn’t too surprising, since no one here seemed to be over the age of around 40.
“Excellent!” the faux-angel exclaimed, “Then the next section will be less confusing to you all. Please say “Status” in your minds, and you should see a panel before you. Do not worry, for no one else may see it.”
I followed along.
Status.
I waited.
Status!
Nothing happened. I frowned because, from the focused expressions of everyone around me, it seemed to have worked for them at least.
Noe, you know why I can’t see the status thing?
“Affirmative,” Noe replied, “Host Walter’s prior orders were to only execute commands when Host Watt directly addresses Unit Noe. Since Unit Noe has commandeered executive control over Host Watt from the inferior Central Origin Matrix, all functions from the Origin System must pass through Unit Noe first.”
Huh, I guess this System in my head’s more impressive than I initially thought.
“Negative,” Noe said, and I could swear there was a change in its tone, “Unit Noe is the most impressive System in the Multiverse.”
Of course, of course. Show me my full status again, Noe.
Host Walter Thefuck:
Human Male - Age 27
Class: Level 1 Commoner
Attributes:
HP: 84/84
MP: 0/0
Strength: 39 (+10)
Dexterity: 45 (+10)
Endurance: 42 (+10)
Intelligence: 36 (+10)
Charisma: 42 (+10)
Titles - 2
Basic Skills - 4
* Calm Mind (D rank Innate Passive): User has an unusually calm mind, able to dispel minor forms of cognitive disruptions, and can think logically under high-stress situations
* Shroud of Luck (EX rank System Passive): Luck System 104.04 Delta has placed a shroud around the user, disallowing personal information from the user to be seen by any and all outside forces. User can temporarily deactivate this ability.
* Aura of Serendipity (B rank System Passive): Luck System 104.04 Delta subtly alters the cognition of any sentient species around the user, making the user significantly more likable and trustworthy to those around him. This effect increases if the user acts in a way that conforms to the ideologies and beliefs of those individuals.
* Absolute Luck (EX rank System Active): As long as the skill is active, Luck System 104.04 Delta will rewrite the laws of causality so that only the best possible outcome will occur for the user. The more improbable a situation is from occurring, the more Luck Charges will be consumed. Luck Charges regenerate at a rate of 1/minute.
Luck Charge: 121/121
Oh, it seems that the number of Luck Charges I had increased a bit. That makes sense, given my huge stat increases, but it was still a pleasant surprise. I had almost forgotten that I had the skill for a second there.